Yep, it's almost that time again, and we are excited! We love showing off our delicious and beautiful holiday treats, many of which we offer *only* during the month of December, so get 'em while you can!

<-- Bûche de nöel shown here on the left. Yum.

This year, we will have:

* Lots of holiday cookies (gingerbread folks and holiday-shaped shortbread just to name a few);

* Homemade fudge (some egg-free and dairy-free, all of them gluten-free) and pepprmint bark;

It's true! There are now TWO Sweet Life locations to make life even sweeter. Our first location, at 755 Monroe, is still there, hopping as ever. And we've added a second location - Sweet life Petite - a beautiful, scaled-down little jewelbox of a store on East 19th & Agate, right near the University of Oregon. We are right near Prince Puckler's, Beppe & Gianni's, and J-TEA, so we are in great company.

Chocolate is in the air, which for all intents and purposes, means LOVE! We love all things sweet for Valentine's Day and we're not biased. Science has proven that chocolate is beneficial and could work to your advantage on this "day of Love".

The holidays evoke sweet memories for us at Sweet Life. Many occasions in our lives involve some tradition around food, and December is the sweetest of all. Some desserts have stood the test of time, such as our Apricot Brandy Poundcake (thanks Aunt Jean), and Pizzelles (thanks Grandma Porreca). Others have been consigned to the "old recipes" file such as Springerle, Mincemeat Pie and Stollen, desserts that customers didn't buy or we tired of making. Every year we try to create a few new treats that will make the holiday festivities that much sweeter.

"Easy as pie" is the biggest misnomer in the baking world. You understand this if you've ever attempted to make a pie. There are so many variables and ways for it to go wrong. Fat temperature and texture, water temperature and amount, amount of handling, sweetness of fruit, amounts of starch. With pies, it's all about the feel. When made correctly, a pie is the most delightful dessert.

Gluten-Free diets have been hugely popular for the past several years. Is this a trend or is it here to stay? It's hard to say just yet, but the demand for gluten-free everything seems to be growing. We were ready for the gluten-free rush, thanks to our customers who have been asking for it for years. Eugenians are usually ahead of the curve for restricted diets. We're talking raw, vegan, locavores and fruitarians. We live in a city where, long before mainstream caught on, it has been verboten to eat corn syrup, GMO's and anything from China.